Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-04-09
STEWARDS ESTATE.
STILL ANOTHER CLAIMANT CoxIEa
TO NEW YoHx.
The Singular Story Of . Michigan Farm
or who wants 10 Finger the Dead
Niliionsirs's Money.

lis way 10 New York to look up evi-
dence in support OF his claim as an
heir at law to tie estate OF A. i. Stew
art. MIR. Faux is farmer, living In |
Pyron township, Shiawassee county,
and be traces his descent from the
Stewart clan through his maternal
grandmother, Mrs. McKernan, now |
deceased. who, it is claimed, was
niece Of the dead millionaire, he having
brought her with him when he landed
M Castle Garden about 1920. Faux
seems to be possessed OF fair degree
OF intelligence and common sense, ana
from his geSeral appearance Is not sue
sort of man to spend his time and
money chasing phantom fortune with
cut some reasonable grounds for dong
so. BY the death of Mrs Mckernan |
the strongest proof OF relationship was
lost but enough remains to make the |
case decidedly interesting one.
Certain discrepancies exist In the
story of the McKernan claimants
Faux is only one of sevcral-and
known events in the miilionaire's ca
reer. but they are of such character |
as TO strengthen rather than throw dis
credit on their showing OF kinship.
According TO his story, in 1913 or 1917
Mrs. Mckernan, then Margaret Mas
sey. pretty child Of eleven years, was
lett an orphan by the death OF her Ia
Their. prosperous merchant at Belfast,
. ireland. Her oldest brother, Viii
linn, succeeded to the business
and the estate and took her TO
rear as his own child. Among the |
relatives of the Massey family were the |
Stewards, in the County Tyrone. about
forty miles from Belfast. One OF them. |
Alexander Thomas, frequently visited
the Massey mansion at Belfast, and took |
great liking to little Margaret. The
Masseys and the Stewards were not on
the most friendly terms. and Alexander
Thomas was tolerated rather than wei
coined. He was not, however, denied
the hospitality of the house when in
the city, for the elder Massey looked
upon him as likely, hard-headed
Young man, who needed but n little
encouragement to make his mark
in the world. Early in the TWEEN
ties young Stewart determined to
emiorate to America, and en-
gagged passage several days ahead in an
outward bound vessel from Glasgow,
but he had become so attached to his
iayorite niece that he made strenuous
efforts to persuade her brother to let her
come with him to this new and far
away country, promising solemnly to
care for her as father. Her brother
however, would not listen to young
Stewards entreaties. Disappointed IN
this endeayor he still resolved to accom-
plish his purpose, and when the boat
came from the vessel TO take him and
his baggage to the ship he easily per-
suaded her to take q ride i'll the boat,
and thus practically abducted her, as
she was taken with him to the vessel
and borne away from her native land.
When the ship landed at New York
he took her to his humble lodging. She
witnessed his early struggles while seek
ing to get start in the mercantile
business. She shared his frugal fare
in the scantily-furnished living apart
ments back of the sales-room. His
time was never so. occupied that he ne
elected the wants of the orphan child,
and to the day of his death, when over
sixty years had elapsed since she had
parted from him, she never forgot the
tender care andattention that he lavished
upon her in the days of his adversely.
Two or three years after arriving IN
the country Margaret committed a NOR
tai offence in the eyes of her protector
by marrying an Irish Catholic named
| John McKernan. She was then but
sixteen or seventeen years old. She
was too high-spirited to appear before
him in the light of supplicant for par
don, and her husband felt Independent
with the whole world before him, as
herself. They removed shortly after
ward TO a suburban town on the Hud-
son. The arrangement between the
city merchant and his former ward was
partially healed, and he frequently sent
her various articles of clothing for her
self and her baby. His feeling toward
her husband, however, never relented
IN 1922 McKernan and his young
family joined the western tide of emf
grafton and settled in Northtield, Wash
tenaw county, Mich, afterward loca-
ting OF White Oak, Ingham county.
Mrs. McKernan's recollection OF her
self constituted guardian grew dim as
years went by, and she came in time to
think of him only when the scenes OF
her childhood reverted to her mind.
There was no correspondence. AS
far as she was aware no might
be dead. She heard in later years
Of A. Il. Stewart, of New York,
whose fame as successful business
man was known throughout the world,
and. she occasionally wondered in her
declining days whether he was Aexan
der Thomas Stewart, her uncle. (The
name OF the millionaire merchant was
Alexander Turner Stewart.) "He
spells his name the same way" she
would say, "and, according to the
newspapers, be is the same stern, cold
natured man that the Stewart knew
WAS" Her oft-expressed desire to
meet him was never gratifed, and she
died in 1873 at her daughters home, in
WILLIAMSON, three years before A. I.
Stewards death.
This is the case as set forth by Faux.
The question of putting in claim for
a few hundred thousand of the estate,
more or less, had been discussed at in
tervals for years, but nobody seemed
inclined heretofore TO 60 to the metro
polls and make a demand ON the execu-
tors, but, as work is slow on the farm
just now, Fanlk made up his mind TO
take few weeks andlook into the mat
ter. He says, candidly, that he thinks
he has small show OF getting any of
the estate, even il his grandmother's
relationship should be proved, but he
would like the satisfaction Of learning
If such relationship really did exist.
Mrs. McKernan left large family,
among them ex-Sheriff Thomas McKer-
nan, of Ingham county ex-RepreseE-
tatiye John Q. McKernan, OF the Upper
Peninsula, and Captain Philip McKer-
nan, recently deceased, who was for
merly well-known lawyer at Mason.
Faux says the other heirs have contri-
buted to pay the cost Of investigating
the claim.